Seed accelerator

This application is a national phase entry under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of International Patent Application PCT/IB2022/059040, filed Sep. 23, 2022, designating the United States of America and published in English as International Patent Publication WO 2023/062463 A1 on Apr. 20, 2023, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/262,360, filed 11 Oct. 2021, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

There are several methods of orienting seeds for planting. Examples of orientation systems include PCT Publication Nos. WO2018013858A1, WO2018013859A1, WO2018013860A2, and WO2018013861A1. One particular seed orienter is described in U.S. Patent Publication No. US2020/0367425A1, which discloses a seed orientation coil. Seed is accelerated with air into the coil, and the air is dissipated via vents.

All references cited herein are incorporated herein in their entireties. If there is a conflict between a definition herein and in an incorporated reference, the definition herein shall control.

Referring to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding parts throughout the several views.

illustrates a row unitwith the seed orientation systemof the present invention installed. Row unitis an example of a commonly found planter unit designed for the purpose of delivering a seed into a furrow. Row unitwould typically be found mounted to a tool bar that attaches to a tractor or similar towing device along with other identical or similar planting row units. Row units can be found in even number groups from a few units to as many as forty-eight row units.

The typical row unitincludes seed hopperfor storing the seed for planting. The seed is directed to a seed meter. The seed metermay use a conventional vacuum disk driven by a vacuum delivery line. The seed meteracts to singulate the seed at a desired spacing for delivery to the ground. From the seed meter, the seed is delivered to the ground through seed tube.

A shank structureprovides the structural support for the seed hopper, seed meterand the seed tube. Opener blade, a gauge wheelsand a closing wheelsare also attached to the shank. The opener bladesforms a trench or furrow in the soil ahead of the seed tube. The gauge wheelcontrol the depth of the furrow and the closing wheelsclose the furrow over the seed.

In a first embodiment, seed orientation systemis mounted to the row unit. Seed orientations systemincludes a seed collectoroperably attached to the seed tube. The seed collectorgathers the seed and changes its direction by way of a seed transfer tubeto a seed orientation coil assembly. The seed passes through the helical path of the seed orientation coil assemblyto an oriented seed exit path. A sub-furrow openercreates a wedge shaped trough within the furrow for capturing the oriented seed.

Movement of the seed throughout the seed orientation systemis aided by air from a central blower/fan. Air is first directed to system air infeeddisposed on the upper face of the seed orientation coil assembly. An air lineis then directed to seed collectorfor moving the seed from the seed collectorto the seed orientation coil assembly.

A seed orientation support structureprovides the structural support for the seed collector, seed transfer tube, the seed orientation coil assemblyand the sub-furrow opener. The seed orientation support structuremay be connected to the shank structureat one or more locations. The seed orientation support structurealso acts to keep debris out of the furrow and to protect against rock impacts

depict the seed orientation system. Seed orientation systemincludes a seed collectorthat directs seeds from seed tubeto seed orientation coil assemblyby way of seed transfer tube. Seed collectorincludes a seed entrance apertureand a seed exit aperture. Seed entrance apertureis sized to mate with the seed tube. An air line connectionis disposed adjacent to the seed entrance aperture. The seed collectormay include various indentations or flanges for connection to the seed orientation support structure, as well as pinsand.

Seed transfer tubeattaches to seed exit apertureat a first end and to seed orientation coilat a second end. It is envisioned that seed transfer tubewill include a mating flangeand a retaining pinfor connection to the seed orientation coil. Pinretains the seed orientation coil assemblyrelative to the support structure.

Seed orientation coilincludes an injector corethat resides within vented outer coil. The injector coreincludes at a first end incoming air feedand outgoing air feedthat provides air through air lineto air line connectionon the seed collector. Injector corefurther includes a plurality of nozzlesarrayed in a helical pattern about the outer face of the injector core.

Vented outer coildefines an aperture injector core. The vented outer coilincludes a seed entrancethat mates with flangeof the seed transfer tube. A plurality of ventsare disposed about the outer face of the vented outer coil. The ventsmay have a variety of shapes including rectangular, circular, ellipsoid or other random shapes. The ventsdo not have to be uniform in size or shape. At a second end of the vented outer coil, seed exit pathextends towards the ground. A seed sensormay be attached to the vented outer coilapproximate the exit pathso as to monitor seed flow.

Seed orientation support structureconnects to the row unit shankthrough hookand flange mount. It is envisioned that the geometry and location of such connection points can be altered depending on the structure of the row unit. The seed orientation support structuresupports the seed orientation coilthrough flangewhich extends from the second end of vented outer coil. The flangemates within notchof the seed orientation support structure. The sub-furrow openeris connected to the seed orientations support structureby roll pinsand.

depicts the intersection between the seed tubeand seed transfer tube. The seed tubeis inserted through seed entrance aperture. Air feedis operably connected to an air blade nozzlewhich directs air towards the seeds. Air blade nozzlepropels the seeds into the seed transfer tube. Seeds exiting the seed tubeare in a random orientation with a high rotational energy as they have fallen from the seed meterwithout any attempt at orientation.

depict a first embodiment of the seed orientation coil assemblyin which the random position of the seed is changed to an oriented tip down position.illustrates an exploded view of the seed orientation coil assembly.is a cross sectional view of the injector coretaken at B-B.is a cross sectional view of the vented outer coiltaken at A-A. Injector coreis nested within vented outer coil. The vented outer coilis attached to the seed orientation support structureat flangeand mounting point.

The injector coreis generally cylindrical in shape with an air apertureat a first end and a closed aft end. A plurality of nozzlesare shown in a helical pattern creating air passages between the central apertureof the injector core and the vented outer coil.

The vented outer coilis generally cylindrical in shape with an open central aperture for insertion of the injector core. The exterior wall of the vented outer coilincludes a plurality of ventsthat create air passages. The vented outer coilfurther includes seed entrancethat opens to helical pathway.

illustrates the helical pathwayof the vented outer coil. Helical pathwayincludes seed riding surfacethat intersects with seed guide wall. The seed riding surfaceis curved so as to have a tighter or smaller radius towards the aft endand a wider radius at the seed entrance end. The seed guide wallintersects the seed riding surfaceat ninety degrees to form a seed riding path. The plurality of ventsare generally disposed at the level of the seed riding pathon the seed riding surface. In a first embodiment the helical pathwaycompletes three revolutions about the injector core.

illustrates the cross-sectional view when the injector coreis disposed within the vented outer coil. In a first embodiment, the outer wall of the injector coilforms the inner barrier for the helical pathway. As such, the vented outer coildoes not require an inner wall or barrier. The helical pathwayterminates at the seed exit path. The curvature of the helical pathwayis changed as it transitions to the seed exit pathso the flat of the corn seed stays firmly positioned against the exit wall. The direction change of the path also separates the somewhat chaotic airflow of the injector nozzles and leaves only a nice laminar flow that helps the seed retain its ordered state of sliding flat on the smooth path surface, tip forward.

illustrate the seed orientation exit pathand sub-furrow openerwhich are part of the seed orientation coil assembly. The seed orientation exit pathis a continuation of the helical pathway. The seed sensoris disposed approximate the seed exit point. The purpose of the seed sensoris to make sure the row unitis actually planting seeds and, if not, will alert the person in the tractor that the row isn't planting because either the seed ran out in hopper or seed is plugged in the seed tube.

As depicted in, the sub furrow openermay define an exit path aperturethat holds the exit pathand a support structure aperturethat allows for mounting the sub-furrow apertureto the seed orientation support structure. The sub-furrow openeralso features an extended bottom slot or extensionthat shapes the sub-furrow to prevent the seed tip from hitting the bottom of the sub-furrow and recoiling out, losing its orientation. The seed sensoris operably connected to the structure of the sub-furrow opener. The exit path is also swept backward to help reduce the horizontal velocity delta of the seed versus the ground that the seed is coming into contact with.

As the seed leaves the exit pathit will be airborne for a short distance, maintaining its stable state. The exit pathaims the seed at a sub-furrow created by a sub-furrow opener. The sub-furrow openershapes walls into the soil that come into contact with the flat sides of the seed, wedging the seed into the soil, retaining its orientation.

The sub-furrow openeralso has a bladethat is swept back. This is to prevent clogs from soil entering up into the seed path when the planter is initially setting down into the soil. This can be achieved because the seed is shot backward at an angle, missing contact with the former blade. This swept back former bladealso helps keep the sub-furrow walls from collapsing prematurely in loose soils. Collapsed walls would result in the seed bouncing, losing its orientation.

illustrate an alternate seed collector design wherein the existing seed tube is removed and the seed orientation systemis directly connected to the seed meter. The seed orientation systemis mounted to the row unit. Seed orientations systemincludes a seed collectoroperably attached to the seed meter. The seed collectorgathers the seed and changes its direction by way of a seed transfer tubeto a seed orientation coil assembly. The seed passes through the helical path of the seed orientation coil assemblyto an oriented seed exit path. A sub-furrow openercreates a wedge-shaped trough within the furrow for capturing the oriented seed. The opener bladecreates a furrowand the sub-furrow opener creates a troughwithin the furrow.

Movement of the seed throughout the seed orientation systemis aided by air from a central blower/fan. Air is first directed to system air infeeddisposed on the upper face of the seed orientation coil assembly. An air lineis then directed to seed collectorfor moving the seed from the seed collectorto the seed orientation coil assembly. The seed collectorcatches seeds directly from the seed meterand gently transports the seed under air power in the most direct and efficient path possible to the seed orientation coil. This configuration improves seed spacing and minimizes seed tumbling. A seed orientation support structureprovides the structural support for the seed orientation coiland the sub-furrow opener.

In operation, the seed orientation systemdelivers seeds from a row unitto the ground in an optimal growing orientation. Seeds are placed in seed hopper. The seed hopperincludes an opening to direct the seed to a seed meter. The seed meterthen attempts to singulate the seed and spaces the seed out for delivery into the ground. The seed orientation systemeither collects the seed from the seed tubeor from a seed collectorthat replaces the seed tube.

A high-flow pressurized air system propels the seed to from the seed collector,through a seed transfer tube,to the seed orientation coil assembly. A major factor in seed stability is catching/collecting the seed as gentle as possible from the seed meter. The seed ideally slides gently vs. tumbling into the orientation coil. This may be achieved by a very gentle and gradual collector pathfrom the meter to the coil to reduce acute angle impacts resulting in tumbling. A tumbling seed entering the orientation coil can result in tumbling through the entire coil as the air jets will just add to the disordered energy of the tumbling seed instead of stabilizing it.

The seed enters into a vented outer coilof the seed orientation coil assembly, said vented outer coildefining a helical pathwayto a seed exit path. The vented outer coilincludes a plurality of air ventsdisposed radially about an outer wall of the vented outer coil.

Pressurized air is injected into the injector coreof the seed orientation coil assembly. The injector core includes a plurality of air injectors or nozzlesdisposed radially about the outer wall of the injector core. The nozzlesdirect a focused air stream across the helical pathwayof the vented outer coil. It is envisioned that the nozzles may be aligned with air vents.

The seed enters the helical pathwayis a random position. The airflow through the injector core and the vented outer coilpush the seed up the seed riding surfaceto the seed guide wall. As illustrated in, a centrifugal force F(an apparent force) is induced on the seed as it travels its curved/helical pathway. The airflow from the injector nozzleshit the seed at an angle, giving two main (pressure) force vector components on the seed. One component pushes parallel to the seed path and the other pushes perpendicular to the seed path. The parallel component of the airflow flows from behind the seed and over the seed, this both propels the seed forward and causes the seed to orient tip forward in the flow (as this orientation has the lowest stable aerodynamic cross section (lowest drag)). This parallel airflow component also increases the velocity of the seed which makes soil capture possible. The parallel airflow may be a combination of the airflow generated by the seed meter and the air flow directed to the seed transfer tube. The perpendicular component of the airflow, combined with centrifugal force F, pushes the seed into the seed riding surfaceand seed guide wallto provide the stability needed to maintain the tip-forward orientation.

After the seed is oriented it is necessary to stabilize the position of the seed all the way to the ground. It is easy to orient a seed for a few seconds but due to the shape of the seed there is a tendency for the seed to tumble out of control. Keeping the seed stable after orientation requires a combination of techniques. In order to a maintain position of the seed, a low friction surface for the helical pathis preferred. Low friction, low roughness and/or lubricious surface reduces any tumbling of the seed as the seed will not “dig in” or “catch” on the surface and instead induce the seed to slide, maintaining an oriented position. An energy absorbing surface is also beneficial for it will “deaden” seed impact energy from tumbling and allow the seed to ride vs. rolling and/or tumbling and help maintain an oriented position. The path from the seed meterto the orientation coilalso benefits from the properties listed above for the orientation coil riding surface.

A curved path also acts to maintain the seed orientation through a centrifugal force F. The centrifugal force Facts on the seed, to drive the seed into the surface to stabilize and reduce bouncing, tumbling and to help retain an oriented position. In addition to the curved pathway, a riding surface shape/profile that has a guide wall helps to precisely locate, stabilize, and maintain the orientation of an oriented seed. The curved shape of the riding surface will also help align the seed longitudinally along the seed path which aids in the orientation process.

The seed is then directed to the seed exit pathand then into a scored sub-furrow inside a main furrow that is used to capture or wedge the seed to retain its orientation and/or position. The seed orientation can be captured/preserved if the seed is propelled into an interference fit sub-furrow in the soil that the seed wedges into. The sub-furrow profile preferably needs to taper down to allow seeds of all sizes to be captured. The profile should also have an extended bottom to prevent the seed tip from hitting the bottom of the sub-furrow and recoiling out before becoming wedge/taper locked.

The seed orientation coil assemblyis angled relative to the normal with the ground to help reduce the seed/ground velocity delta. At a typical 5 mph planting speed and what would be a 5 mph horizontal velocity delta, the angled coil should reduce the velocity delta to about 2 mph. At a slower 3 mph planting speed, the seed would be a dead drop into the sub-furrow.

illustrate a seed acceleration systemfor accelerating seed from seed meterto seed orientation coil assembly. Conduithaving a first endand second endis disposed with first end adjacent to a seed release from a seed apertureon seed discin seed meter. Gas supply linesupplies gas to nozzle, which is in fluid communication with conduit. In, conduit, gas supply line, and nozzleare shown in sectioned view. The gas can be any gas and includes, but is not limited to, air or nitrogen.

Proximate to second end, an optional ventcan be provided to vent the gas before the gas enters the seed orientation coil assembly. By venting conduit, seed orientation coil assemblydoes not need vents. Seed orientation coil assemblycan have an enclosed outer surface. Ventcan vent all gas, a partial amount of gas, or a majority of gas from conduit. There can be one ventor a plurality of vents.

In another embodiment illustrated in, second endis curved before entry into the seed orientation coil assembly. There can be one or a plurality of vents′ in the curved portion of second end. Vents ′can be disposed through the outer radius of the curve.

An example of a seed meteris described in PCT Publication Nos. WO2012/129442, WO2016/077651, and WO2007/024646.

Other pneumatic seed accelerators are described in U.S. Patent Publication Nos. US20150122162A1, US20170105334A1, US20200359551A1, US20200359552A1, US20210051844A1, and US20210153423A1, U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,336,471B2, 9,043,950B2, 9,137,941B2, 9,521,804B2, 10,448,561B2, 10,743,460B2, 10,945,363B2, 10,959,368B2, 10,993,366B2, and 10,999,966B2, and PCT Publication Nos. WO2019108881A1, WO2019197963A1, WO2021069599A1, and WO2021069607A1. The outlets of the pneumatic conduits can be connected to the seed orientation coil assemblyvia air infeedto deliver seed into the seed orientation coil assembly.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. As used herein, the singular forms “a,”, “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well as the singular forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence of addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The foregoing description is presented to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention and is provided in the context of a patent application and its requirements. Various modifications to the preferred embodiment of the apparatus, and the general principles and features of the system and methods described herein will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art. Thus, the present invention is not to be limited to the embodiments of the apparatus, system and methods described above and illustrated in the drawing figures, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the spirit and scope of the appended claims.